Innocence
by MH2002
Summary: Melody has the best friends in the world. They know everything about her...Well, almost everything about her. They don't know she has two dads and it's not because she's ashamed of them, they're the best parents anyone could ever hope for but she just doesn't want her crush and also best friend to judge her but what happens when a jealous Ex brings it out into the open?


I really suggest you watch this video first so this fic makes at least some bit of sense, also to get the basic plot and see where I got my idea from (if you still don't get the story after watching the video, read the description of the video). Also, support the original creator of the video and show them some love.

watch?v=cO6Uu1M_L8A

This is merely an interpretation of the video with a few of my own small headcanons thrown in, this was really written for my own entertainment but I wanted to share it with you all too.

This will not feature all of the aspects of the video, just the Melody plotline and I may make a separate fic about how she came to be with Tulio and Miguel and maybe some fics about her childhood with her adoptive parents and maybe her future with Jim as well.

* * *

Melody quietly crept down the hallway to her parents' bedroom, hoping to catch them off guard. She always loved waking her parents early in the morning, it was always fun and besides she needed permission to leave the house, so she could meet her friends at 8 o'clock as they agreed. They were going swimming, well Melody and Jane, her best friend in the whole wide world, where going swimming while Jim was probably just going to watch from the sidelines again.

Melody loved her friends so much, they were so much better than all the other kids she knew, they didn't think she was weird but then again she hadn't really told Jim about her parents, and she wanted too, but she was just nervous. Her best friend, Jane Darling, already knew as both her parents had come to pick her up from Jane's house after there very first play date together after they had first met at the beach when they were 6. Most people had a...negative reaction when they found who her parents were but Jane and her Mom were super cool about it, her mom even invited them in for something to eat, and they've been best friends ever since.

Jane was the kindest girl she knew, she was also really funny and loved swimming, just like Melody. Her Mom, Mrs Wendy; was also really great, she told the best stories; well apart from her parents that was. Jim was...different, he was a bit older, but he still liked to hang out with her and Jane. He was usually getting into trouble, and sometimes he even dragged them into his plans, but he was a good guy at heart and Melody always smiled when she thought about him and... and... Melody shook her head to clear her thoughts as she neared her parent's door.

Melody leaned against her parent's bedroom door and listened, if her parents were already up then her plan would fail but all she heard were almost silent whispers and even a soft giggle from inside. Melody grimaced at the noise, that noise only meant one thing. Gross, they were kissing again! But she couldn't hear any footsteps on the creaky floorboards, that must mean they've must have just woken up and are still in bed!

'Perfect!' Melody thought as she positioned her feet and gently grabbed a hold of the doorknob before quickly turning it to get in, thrusting the door open and jumping inside. "PAPA, DAD, WAKE UP!" She roared

Two screams had confirmed that her plan had worked, her Papá falling off the bed was not intended but a bonus. "Melody! How many times do we have to tell you not to do that!?" Melody's Papá, Tulio, got up as he said that, trying to make it look like he hadn't fallen at all. Her Dad, Miguel, laughed alongside her at Tulio trying to shake off his embarrassment, before moving off the bed and pulling his husband into a hug. "Now Love, she only does it because of our reactions, especially yours. I don't remember the last time I heard you scream like that. Oh, wait, yes I do~" Miguel teased kissing Tulio's neck gently, wiggling his eyebrows in a flirtatious manner.

Tulio pushed his annoying husband away, face a deep red as he went over to the closet to get out an outfit for the day. "Yeah, and you'll never hear it again if you don't get up already."

"Ew! You guys are so gross!" Melody yelled out, covering her ears and flopping on the bed before Miguel scooped her up, hugging his daughter close as she tried to worm herself away, before giving up and hugging him back.

Miguel soon let go and walked over to join Tulio before noticing that Melody was already dressed in her usual white palettes and a white camisole while her hair was half-haphazardly done, she was never the best at doing her hair. "Well, you're up early Mi Chiquita. Any plans for today?" He asked picking out a red shirt that was quite loose across his frame and even had a few little tears in it; but it was his favourite, he didn't have the heart to throw it out.

Melody jumped up and sat on the window ledge looking out onto the enchanting view of the sea that their little home had, it was the best thing about her home. "Don't tell me you already forgot? I'm going out with my friends today, we agreed to meet up early, so can I go now? Please? I'll be home before dark, and we won't be very far, it's just me, Jane and Jim. I've had some breakfast and I made my bed and everything, so pretty please?"

Tulio looked down at her and smirked a little, His little Tesoro always got this look in her eye whenever she mentioned that Jim fellow. Both Tulio and Miguel had met Melody's best friend Jane already, and they both really appreciated her looking out for their Tesoro, while they had not yet met Jim in person, they heard plenty about him. But he knew that look in her eye, he had seen it in Miguel's eyes plenty times before, and he knew that he himself had made it as well.

"Yes, except your hair is a mess. Come here." Having to put his hair in a ponytail since he was 15 had given him the experience he needed to do his daughter's hair whenever she needed. He sat her down in front of the dressing table with a large mirror before untying the half loose green ribbon before grabbing his comb, smoothing out the long black hair before speaking up.

"Jane and Jim, you say? You have been spending a lot of time with them recently, especially Jim. You have anything you want to tell us, Tesoro?" Tulio teased, pulling the hair back before hastily tying a bow. Melody's eyes widen as she caught on to what her Papá was implying and quickly stood up.

"What?! No way, I just like him as a friend, I love both my friends but not like... that! Can I just go now? Please?" She pleaded with her Papá, knowing that if he said yes, then she was truly free to go and besides, no one could resist her puppy eyes of destruction, it matched perfectly when her dad made 'The Face' as he called it. Tulio was so strong but so weak at the same time as he tried to look away from the puppy eyes but it was no use.

"All right! All right already, enough with the eyes. You can go but you be careful out there." Melody's eyes brightened as she quickly stood up before cheering. "Yes! Thank you, Papá!" She quickly barrelled towards her Papá, almost crushing him in a hug. She was surprisingly strong for a 12-year-old girl.

Tulio held her back and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before she again was up and crushing her Dad in a similar hug as Miguel picked her up and twirled her around slightly, before kissing her cheek as they both waved her off. "Bye, Papá! Bye, Dad! Love you!" She shouted before she was off running through the house. The last the two heard of her was her almost slamming the front door before it was silent once again.

Miguel let out a small laugh as he moved closer to the window, watching Melody out the window before she left his view. Turning to Tulio with a proud gleam in his eyes, he said. "Our little girl is growing up. It seems only yesterday we could hold her in our arms." Tulio nodded slightly, moving to put some clean pants on. "Yeah, I miss those days. She wasn't able to crush my ribs that way." He joked rubbing his middle gently.

Miguel laughs and elbowed his husband softly. "Oh, I don't suppose it has anything to do with the fact that you weigh as much as a biscuit and anyone could pick you up?" Miguel teased. Tulio scowled before pushing his husband back once again before moving to the bathroom to do his hair. He wasn't really mad at Miguel, he just hated comments on his body, he hated how weak he was; he knew that Miguel didn't mean it like that but it still hurt. Miguel frowned before following his husband, he hadn't meant to upset Tulio; he knew he had said something wrong when Tulio wouldn't reply. He knew that Tulio was insecure about his frame no matter how many times Miguel had tried to reassure him.

Tulio looked in a small mirror as he combed his hair. He noticed Miguel in the reflection but only glanced at him as he needed to focus on getting his hair just right. He felt arms coil around his waist, but he ignored it, well he tried too, but he almost unconsciously leaned into the touch. "Tulio, you know that I didn't mean it like that, right?" Miguel asked as Tulio ceased combing. "Yeah... I know. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gotten angry." Tulio said as he turned around winding both arms around Miguel's neck.

"It's okay, I know it's still a sensitive spot for you." Miguel ran his hands down to Tulio's hips. "But you should know how I feel about you and your body. Do you need a little reassurance?~" Tulio rolled his eyes, classic Miguel. "Miguel we just got up." Miguel pouts his lips, on the verge of making 'The Face'. "...So, no then?" Miguel moved to let go of Tulio's hips but Tulio swiftly grabbed Miguel's wrists, placing his hands back on his hips. "I didn't say no~ but I call dibs on the first shower!"

Miguel smirked as he pulled his beloved husband towards the bedroom. "Deal. Now my beloved, let me show you just how much I adore your body~"

* * *

Melody was running so quickly, if anyone was to see her they would only see a small black and white blur. She was so happy that she lived so close to the Sea, it was her all-time favourite place to be. As she hastily rounded a corner she came across a miniature cliff, she refused to slow down as she came to the edge. She did not hesitate to leap off the edge and dive right into the water. When she hit the water she stayed under for a few seconds before surfacing with a flip of her hair. Feeling the fresh seawater engulfing her body had lifted any tension that she could have been feeling at that moment as she laid back and floated effortlessly on the water. Jane and Jim would be here soon but until then she was content to just float here, close her eyes and relax.

Well, that was the plan before she heard someone shout. "Melody, up here!" Melody's eyes snapped open as she heard a very familiar voice cheer from high above. Speak of the devil, and she shall appear is the case as Jane leaned over the cliff, looking down at Melody before moving out of Melody's line of sight. Melody face brightened as she spotted her friend, but it turned into fright as she realised that Jane was about to jump from the cliff, and she was right underneath it. "NO! Jane wait, don't-!" Melody quickly ducked back under the water and swam as quickly as she could to get away before hearing a muffled splash behind her.

Melody quickly wiped her eyes, coughing slightly from unexpectedly having to go under the water so soon. Hearing muffled giggling (She still had water in her ears) from behind her she began yelling at her friend. "You dummy, what the hell do you-! Oh, hi Jim... Heh, didn't see you there." It would be Melody's luck to look behind her only to find it was Jim and not Jane giggling at her. "Hey Melody, good to see you too," Jim called back from a rock on the shore. "Sorry, I yelled at you. I thought it was-" Melody was cut off by the feeling of arms wrapping around her. "Haha! I got you didn't I?" Again, perfect timing.

"Yeah, yeah you got me, happy?" She said in a slightly annoyed tone as well as rolling her eyes. Jane let go before chuckling at her friend. "When did you guys get here? Were you already here?" Jane shook her head. "Nah, we noticed you jumping off and I couldn't resist joining you." Jane giggled before being splashed right in the face. "Hey!" Jane quickly wiped her face only to see the smug look on Melody's face. "Heh, got you!" Jane frowned before letting out a bellowing war cry before jumping after Melody, who had sensed the impending water fight, paddled away for a distance advantage.

Jim smirked as he watched the two girls splash around. Melody was such a natural in the water, it's a wonder she wasn't born a mermaid. While he loved his friends, he couldn't help but think about Melody. While she seemed so confident and fun-loving, which she was most of the time; she seemed like she had something to hide.

Whenever he would ask about her parents, she would either change the subject or give vague answers that gave away almost nothing. However, he had at least one assumption; she didn't want to talk about it. That, he could understand perfectly. They knew about his dad, and they knew he didn't like to talk about it, but he still mentioned him from time to time if it was brought up in conversation.

Jim shook his head slightly to clear his thoughts; it wasn't his business. If Melody didn't wanna talk about it then who is he to judge? But he couldn't help but worry if everything was all right. He would hate to think she was being neglected in any way, but he doubted it, they would notice if something was wrong, right?

"Jim! Hey Jim, stop thinking about space and join us!" Jim was again pulled from his thoughts by the said girl yelling at him from a small rock in the water with a cute smirk on her face. Cute? Where did that come from?

"Oh no, you know I hate the water. No way, absolutely no way." Jim shook his head furiously. He didn't hate water; he just didn't like the idea of big body's of water, plus he couldn't swim so there as no way he was getting in that sea, there was also another reason he didn't wanna get in the ocean, but they didn't need to know about that. Melody rolled her eyes and sat up more on the rock. "Oh, come on. You'll never learn to swim if you don't even try." Ever since the two girls had learned that Jim couldn't swim they had been adamant in trying to teach him, but he refused every time.

He knew that Melody wouldn't leave it alone until he got in the water, unless... "Ok, I'll let you teach me how to swim, if you let me take you on a ride on my sailboard." Melody's eyes widened to almost comical sizes before shaking her head and waving her arms in a 'No way' motion. While Jim had a phobia of the sea, Melody had a huge fear of heights, and Jim knew it. "No! No no no! No way." Jim smirked smugly, he knew that would get her to stop.

"Oh, stop! I'm can't breathe with all this romantic tension in the air!" Jane yelled dramatically, sticking her fingers down her throat too fake vomiting in disgust. When she did that, both Jim and Melody noticed just how close they had gotten to each other, seems like they had unconsciously moved closer together as they were talking. Melody quickly recoils back, face almost glowing crimson while Jim stayed still, almost frozen in place.

'Romantic?!' Flooded both of the minds of the youths as they both started to splutter out protests as an indescribable but nice feeling in both of their stomachs plagued them. Jane, satisfied that she had managed to fluster her friends, began to chuckle before being cut off by herself coughing up the water that had just been splashed in her face.

Sweeping the water from her face, she glared intently at her best friends while they both smirked and Melody even fluttered her eyelashes. They looked as innocent as could be, even if they were the exact opposite and they knew it.

What the three didn't know was that while they were busy, someone had been watching them. Well, not just someone, Jim knew who they were, and they knew Jim. It was why they were there, they had hoped he was going to be there. This person- well that's the thing, they weren't a person. Well, not a human person. She was a mermaid, her name was Arial, and she was Jim's ex-girlfriend.

She had been watching them all for a while. She knew she should be over him and should have moved on by now, but she was still heartbroken, they hadn't ended on good terms exactly. Jim's fear of the water had pushed them apart. It got to the point that in the middle of a fight, he had proclaimed that he would never get in the ocean and that's that. She took this personally; the sea was her home, she cherished it. So she yelled something that she really shouldn't have.

"No wonder your Dad deserted you! You're pathetic!" And it was over. Jim's body froze after hearing those words and then wordlessly turned around and walked away. Ariel, realising what she had said tried to apologise but it was too late, Jim left, and he never came to see her after that. It had been almost a whole month since they broke up and Jim still refused to speak to her, and he'd been avoiding the ocean altogether to not risk seeing her. And to top it all off, she was jealous. Jealous of whom? Well, Melody of course. She had been watching Jim and his friends for a while, she could see the looks the two gave each other, those looks where supposed to be for her. She was troubled, bitter and jealous; which is why she did what she did next.

"Jim? Jim Hawkins?! That is you!"

Hearing the unfamiliar voice (well for two of them), the three companions turned there heads only to see a young (close to there age) gorgeous red-haired mermaid with a green tail and the most beautiful ocean blue eyes that the two girls had ever seen, she was stunning and yet Jim visually deflated upon seeing the girl. Melody was astounded, she, of course, knew mermaids existed, everyone did, but they were a private race and only a few would interact with humans. Melody had always admired mermaids, sometimes she wished she could be one, sometimes her dad's called her 'Sirena' when they all went to the beach together. Why the hell did Jim not inform them that he knew a mermaid? And such a pretty one too?

Jane, however, was not so impressed. Oh, don't get her wrong, she was shocked to see a mermaid, and she was indeed very good-looking, but she didn't miss the way that Jim didn't seem happy to see her when she seemed so happy to see Jim, something was off.

"Oh... Hey, Arial." Jim almost grunted out, this is exactly what he didn't want to happen. He didn't want to see her and most certainly didn't wanna talk to her. He knew he might have been a bit too harsh, but she had hurt his feelings. He honest to God cried when he got home because he couldn't stop thinking about her harmful words, he was depressed until his friends were able to bring him out of his funk.

He hadn't told them why he was so depressed, he hated lying to his friends, but he didn't want to explain, so he just said he was thinking about his dad again, which they completely understood.

But now she was here, why was she here? Hadn't she moved on already?! Jim eyebrows furrowed, but he knew that getting angry wouldn't help anything. He hoped she would see that he wasn't interested and go away but as luck would have it, she swam a bit closer and sat on a rock close to, Melody who had an oblivious smile on her face.

"It's been so long since I've seen you, I was getting worried, where did you go?" Ariel said in a pitiful voice. Jim scoffed and said in an almost aggravated tone. "Don't act like you don't know why we haven't seen each other." Jim crossed his arms and gave an annoyed look. "So unless you have something to say, I'd very much appreciate it if you left us alone."

After that Ariel's face soured, but she continued to smile, but now it had taken on a sinister nature. Melody and Jane were thoroughly confused. What was going on? Who was this 'Ariel' girl? Why was Jim being so hostile? Jane the straightened up and moved closer to Jim. "Okay, let's just calm down here. First things first, Who are you exactly?" Jane knew that Jim would only act this way if he had a really good reason, so they better get some answers first.

Melody's eye kept darting between the three, she could sense the tension in the air and as she looked at Ariel, she caught her gaze. Melody shrunk back; the look she was given made her heart drop and her blood run cold. It was so full of...hate and disgust. Why? She had only met this girl...

"Am I not allowed to see an ex with his new squeeze? Not sure what you see in her, she just seems like a mermaid wannabe too me." Ariel spat in Melody's direction, to be honest, she didn't know a lot about the girl, but she knew enough so she could spite her. Jim quickly sprang to his feet, okay, NOW he was pissed off. Jane was the same as her face turned from confused to full-on consumed by rage. No one talked to her friends like that. Jane stepped forward in a threatening manner as Jim got as close to the shore as he was comfortable with. While Melody sunk into the water to make herself as small as she possibly could, to not get involved.

"Hey! Just who do you think you are?! You know what, I don't care but you do not talk to her that way!" Jane pointed her finger at Ariel's face, trying to get her attention off Melody. Jim then piped up after Jane. "What the hell is your problem? First, you come and act like nothing is wrong. Second, you don't consider that I don't wanna speak to you and then you have the gall to insult my friends?"

"All this wouldn't have happened if you had just talked to me! I apologised, isn't that enough for you!" Ariel shouted back. "Also, who do you think your kidding? She's your friend? That's rich, we can all see the way you look at her and the way she looks back, No one looks at their friend like that. Admit it, you love her! That's why we broke up, you don't love me, you never did, you love her don't you!?"

At this point, Jim's patience had snapped completely and without thinking, rushed forward into the water till it was up to his waist and got directly in Ariel's face. "No! That is not why we broke up! We broke up because you pushed me to get in the water when I had made it very clear that I wanted nothing to do with it! If you had left me alone or given me gentle encouragement, maybe we could have worked out! But No! You had to go and push me to the verge of insanity and then say something awful because you knew it would hurt me. I can't be with someone who doesn't respect my boundaries or my feelings." Jim was pouring his heart out now, all of his feelings were being outed in this one speech.

"And you know what, so what if I like Melody? She's been my best friend for years now, and she means a lot more to me than you. She's honest, kind, funny, considerate, never pushes me into doing things I don't want too, and she's the most adorable person I've ever met and I'd rather be with her than with you any day. I'm moving on Ariel, maybe you should too." After that, only the waves were making noise.

Melody watched on in shock as Jim came to her defence. Not to mention the fact that up until now, all Jim had ever done is stick his feet in the sea; and now he had gone right in to defend her. Her face morphed into astonishment when Jim talked about all the things he thought she was, her face going red when he mentioned that she was adorable. "D-do you mean that?" She found herself speaking out loud, it was so soft that had it not been so quiet, no one would have heard it. Jim's head then snapped to her and his face softened immensely when she caught his eyes, then he moved in front of her. "Hey, you think I'd be in the water if I didn't mean it?" Melody beamed while Jane watched with a satisfied smirk, it was about time those two saw the light. "Come on, let's go. I think this has been enough swimming for one day." Jim warped his arm around Melody's shoulders in a half hug and began to guide her way to the shore

But Ariel wasn't done, oh no, not by a long shot. She had one last trick up her sleeve, she wished it didn't have to come to this, but she had to do something. So again, without thinking, she screamed out something that made everyone freeze in place.

"At least my parents aren't Faggots!"

Melody's blood completely froze inside her body, you could have knocked her down with a feather. "W-what?" There was no way, how did she-! "You heard me, I know about your parents you little weirdo. I saw you with them the other day." That was true, she had been down to the beach with her Papá and Dad just a few days ago, it had been so much fun. Had she been watching the whole time? "Guess she's not as honest as you thought, huh?" Ariel quipped with a smug leer in her eyes, crossing her arms.

Jim's arm dropped from Melody's shoulder, without a word he turned to Melody with an unreadable expression upon his face but his eyes told Melody everything. "Jim, I-" Melody began to speak but her words caught in her throat. There was no way to explain it away.

As Melody felt the panic creep into her mind, she turned around and ran out of the water. She didn't stick around to hear Jane's protests or Jim yelling, she couldn't tell what he was saying, and she didn't want to hear it either, she just wanted to go home.

* * *

Miguel and Tulio were both in the living room, Miguel playing his mandolin softly while Tulio was reading while humming along to the music, it was a rare peaceful moment in the Mainard-Delgado household. Which was quickly broken when the front door was all but broken down by Melody which for the second time that day made them jump almost sky-high. Miguel's face brightened as he saw it was just his little girl. "Hey, Sweetheart. How did-!" Miguel was cut off as Melody let out a very loud cry before bolting up the stairs and hurling her bedroom door closed with a loud crash.

The only noise that could be heard throughout was the muffled but audible sobs of Melody from upstairs. The sobs both pierced the silence of the house and the hearts of the two men as they sat in disbelief. "W-what?" Miguel's soft voice almost murmured out. Tulio could only shake his head in confusion and disbelief. That was the only word in either of there minds as they both set their respective hobbies down and followed up to Melody's room, as they grew closer the cries only became louder and louder until they got to the door.

Tulio reached forward for the doorknob but flinched back. "You should do it, you're so much better at this then I am." he whispered to his husband. It was quite true too, while Tulio wasn't a cold person, he was just the worst at comforting people; even those he loved most. Miguel shook his head. "No way, we do this together. It'll be better if we're both there for her." The black-haired Spaniard took a deep breath before slowly but surely opening the door.

The sight behind the door made both of their souls shatter, where was their headstrong, loving and rambunctious little girl who was here this morning? All they saw was Melody curled on her bed crying herself sick. Quietly, but making enough noise so she knew they were there, they crept over to the bed before sitting down at the bottom of it. Tulio glanced up at Miguel and then glanced back to Melody; the signal that he was to go first. Miguel gently put his hand on Melody's shoulder before speaking in a soft tone. "Corazoncita? Melody? Is everything alright?" At the simple question, Melody stopped crying but her hands clenched into fists.

Melody's mood had changed and fast. Her mind was racing as fast as her heart was as she thought of her situation and her feelings turned from sadness to frustration to full-blown rage while she cried in her bed. When she felt the hand on her shoulder and hearing a voice that had once only brought comfort, it instead brought all those negative emotions to the surface, causing her to make an action that spoke louder than words ever could.

She quickly smacked the hand off her shoulder as if it had burned her, setting her eyes on the people that got her into this mess. "No! Everything is not alright and it's all your fault!" She all but shrieked in her Dad's face as he backed off in confusion. Tulio watched in horror as their sweet girl yelled in his husband's face; what did she mean?

Miguel had no luck either in figuring out what had set Melody off but unfortunately for them, Melody was only just beginning. "It's because of you I can't have any friends, everyone thinks I'm weird because I have two dad's and you know what?" Melody was sitting up now, she quickly moved across the bed, getting right up close into both of her parent's faces with a furious expression. "They're right! Having two dads isn't normal, nothing about this family is normal and I'm tired of having to suffer for it; why can't either of you be normal for once?!"

Those words struck a chord within both of the men but they both reacted differently, while Miguel's face morphed into bitter disappointment and hurt; Tulio flinched back violently at the words. He had been asked similar questions too many times by his Father and it always set off the doubt that was continuously hidden in his brain but he tried to push it back as he put on the firmest voice he could at that moment. "Now you look here, I don't know what you're so upset about but that does not give you the right to lash out at us. Now you apologise, right now."

Miguel stood up and looked down at his daughter with hurt and anger in his eyes. To hear such phrases and words that had been screamed at him and Tulio by strangers and sometimes religious nuts on the streets come out of his only daughter pained him immensely and shook him to his core.

Melody shook her head furiously, blinking back the tears. "No! I won't apologise for the truth! I wish you never took me in, I wish I lived with my Mom instead!"

At this point, Miguel had snapped. "We promised your Mother that we would take good care of you before she died. A lot of kids would kill to have the life you have, I know I would have!" Miguel hated talking about his past, even mentioning it twisted his stomach but he needed her to understand.

But Melody was too far gone to see any reason, all she could see was the problem, she wanted them to be upset about it too, unknowing that they already were.

"Then I wish you had died instead of Mom!"

Pushing herself off the bed she sprinted out the door and out of the house ignoring her dads as they tried to call her back. "Melody wait!" "You come back here, young lady!" Tulio and Miguel yelled out respectively but it was too late as they only heard the sound of the slamming door ringing throughout the house once again.

Tulio sank onto the bed and buried his head in his hands muttering "Bueno mierda..." The anger that Miguel had felt only moments ago had all but dissipated by the time she was gone. He soon joined his husband on the bed before sighing. "...Well...That could have gone better..."

* * *

Melody had only slowed down when she had once again reached the beach, slowing down, so she could catch her breath she began to walk along the coast, kicking up sand along the way.

"Estúpido... Idiotas..." Melody bit back the angry tears before slumping on the seashore. Running her fingers through her hair, she noticed that the ribbon holding her hair back had become loose. Huffing she pulled it out and tried to set it back again, but she knew it was no use, she couldn't tie her hair back if her life depended on it. After a while of her frustration building up, she gave up and threw the ribbon on the damp sand.

"Papá always does it better anyway..."

Melody sighed and lied on her back on the sand, looking up at the sky. It was going to get dark soon, but she didn't want to go home... Maybe if she asked Mrs Wendy, she would let her sleepover for the night.

As she thought about her sudden running away she drew patterns in the sand, the more she thought about it, the worse she felt. She was still angry but now it was directed at that Ariel girl. She wanted to tell Jim, she would have told him about her family but then Ariel had to blurt it out to the world. As well as use that horrible word, the 'F' word that she had heard people mutter behind her family's back when they all went out; they could try and hide it all they wanted but that word set off something awful inside of her Dads. Her Papá would wince and try to distract himself with conversation and her dad would go quiet, she could practically feel the rage coming off of him but would always calm down when she asked.

As she leaned up to stare out into the ocean, she picked up her ribbon once again and tied it around her wrist so it wouldn't get lost. It had been a gift from her dads when she was little. She always asked for her hair to be put back like her Papá but it was never long enough, until one day when she was about 7 years old. She still remembers how she stole his ribbon early that morning, so she could surprise him; he was looking for it everywhere and was so surprised when he saw Melody running up to him with a very loose and very messy ponytail.

"Look, Papá! Now I'm just like you." She's pretty sure she could see tears welling up in his eyes, but he must have held them back as he called to her Dad to say he had found the ribbon, who laughed when he saw who had it. Her Papá had then quickly taken the ribbon out, saying she should have asked, but he had something even better for her. Her Dad seemed just as confused as she did but when he saw Papá pull a small shoebox out from under the bed, his face dimmed a little. When her Papá pulled out a similar ribbon to his own but it was green, she wasn't that impressed, but then he said something that always stuck with her, even to this day.

"It belonged to your mother..." He told her in a faraway voice as he tied her hair back for her, while her dad watched with a smile on his face but a sad glaze in his eyes

She always wondered about her Mother after getting that small but meaningful gift, what she was like, what she looked like and how she met her dads. They spent hours talking about her, and she listened to every word. She wished she could have known her, but she had her Dads and that was enough for her.

Melody let out a quiet sob as she remembered that day, how much fun she had with her parents and how much she loved them and how much they loved her. She had said she wished them dead, so she could have known a woman she had never even met.

"I've been a brat, haven't I?" She said, but there was no one to answer her, the waves were her only company on the lonely beach.

At least they were until she heard a familiar distant voice from behind her. "Melody! Melody!" It was Jane, and she was running towards her extremely fast. She looked exhausted when she finally caught up to Melody and held her knees as she panted heavily, trying to catch her breath. Melody gently rubbed her friends back as she took in deep breaths. "Jane, calm down! Why were you running?"

Jane looked up at her with a bewildered look in her eyes. "Why am I running?! I should be asking the questions here. Why did you run away?" At that question, Melody turned away. "You know why... Jim probably thinks I'm weird now or at least hates me for lying to him..." She then sank back to the ground, hugging her legs to her chest when Jane sat down in front of her, gripping her shoulders, shaking her lightly. "That's not true, you shouldn't have run away!" Melody's face changed from down to startled at hearing Jane's news. "What? What do you mean?"

Jane beamed and even laughed a little. "You should have seen it, Melody! Jim went completely off on that girl! He did a huge speech about how he said he didn't care about your parents because you had made it very clear that they care about you more than anything and that's all that matters." Which is true, even though she hadn't given much information about her parents. She did talk a lot about all the things that they did for her, such as her hair, teaching her Spanish and going to extreme lengths just to make sure that they had enough money to feed her. She couldn't believe that Jim remembered, had he been paying attention to her talking about her parents the whole time? Why would he do that?

Melody then quickly got up and looked in the direction of her home. "Jane, I have to go." Jane scrunched her nose and made a noise of confusion mixed with irritation. "But I just found you. I've been looking for you since you left. I thought you might be in trouble." Melody shakes her head. "No, I was at home and I said something terrible!" Jane fully understood what she meant, she knew people can say really bad things when they're hurting, she should know, she's done it herself. "Oh, they are going to ground you so bad," she said jokingly trying to lift the mood. "I guess I'll see you in a few weeks or months." Melody quickly hugged her best friend before turning around and shooting off in the direction of home, she hoped a grounding would be the worst thing she got when she went home.

* * *

Tulio was repeatedly banging his head against the wall, a habit he had of his whenever he needed an idea or was just under a lot of stress. It was going to get dark soon, and he was worried about Melody, but he wasn't the only one. Miguel was sitting on the couch absently plucking at the strings on his mandolin, it's sounded horrible, but he needed something to distract himself. "Do you think we should look for her yet?" Tulio asked, banging his head on the wall harder, causing the noise to get louder; Miguel cringed back at the thought of the pain.

"You know, I wished you'd stop doing that, you're going to hurt yourself." Tulio then stopped banging his head and slumped down on the couch with Miguel, leaning his head on his shoulder. "I don't know what to think. If we look for her, and we find her it might only make her more upset," Miguel nodded silently before Tulio's slightly panicked voice cut in again." But it's going to get dark soon, what if something happens?" Miguel put his hand on Tulio's lower back and rubbed it gently, trying to soothe him. "I'm sure she'll come home soon, she can't stay mad at us forever."

"Hey, do you remember when we took her down to the beach for the first time? She couldn't have been older than maybe a few months, but she took to it almost immediately. We had to stop her from literally crawling into the sea. I remember the scream you let out when you saw her getting close to the water. You tried to scold her, but she just laughed, it was her first laugh." Miguel said, trying to distract Tulio, even if it was for a minute.

Tulio smiled weakly at the memory. He did remember that day, it was soon after they'd finally been able to move into the house, they spent months saving up to be able to afford it. Every day they were pulling a different con, and they wouldn't stop until they had enough money to make sure that Melody was fed that day, even if they didn't eat. Luckily enough, Esmeralda had left them some money that she had been saving before she died. When she made them promise to take care of Melody if something happened to her, it was like asking fate to take her.

He also remembers the exact moment she died. She had asked Miguel to hold Melody for a moment, so she could rest. Melody, of course, reached for her Mother, Esmeralda than reached up and Melody took her finger in her tiny hand, she let Melody hold her finger before her hand just dropped, and she was gone. The last thing she ever did was smile at them, all of them.

While Miguel was always a loving person, especially with children, it took Tulio a little while to get into the routine of having a child. There would be days where he would scream at the little witch to shut up, but she eventually grew on him. One of his favourite memories is when she wanted to look like him, he woke up that morning looking for his ribbon to tie his hair back but it was gone. Miguel didn't seem too bothered, he always liked it when Tulio wore his hair down but Tulio was not so convinced. He hated having his hair in his way, which is why he always tied it back.

To say he was surprised when he found Melody using it would be an understatement, but the real blow came when he found out it was because she wanted to look like him with her hair tied back. He'll admit, he almost cried, no one had ever wanted to be like him before, usually, he was an example of what not to be, especially for his siblings.

As he looked up and out the window, he saw that the sky was almost completely black, the worry was now too much. "That's it, we're going to look for her." Miguel saw there was no trying to convince his husband but to be honest he was really worried too. So they both stood up and made their way to the door. "I think I might have an idea where she might have gone," Miguel said reaching for the doorknob. "And if she's not at the beach she might be at-!" As he pulled open the door, he saw Melody standing there with her arm up as if she was reaching for the doorknob as well.

Tulio quickly pushed Miguel to the side and enveloped Melody in a tight hug before Miguel joined in. "Young lady, you are in so much trouble! Didn't you realise what time it was? Do you know how dangerous it is out there? You could have gotten hurt!" Tulio's hands were hovering over Melody's body to check for any wounds, while Miguel was setting kisses all over her face, just happy to see her home. "Oh, Sweetheart. Don't you ever do that to us again, do you have any idea how scared we were?"

Melody could see the fear and then the relief in her parent's eyes when they started to crowd her. Her Papá checking for any injuries and her dad showering her with kisses. Her eyes started to well up as she felt the love, she couldn't believe she had said all those horrible things earlier. As Tulio and Miguel noticed the tears they stepped back but were still in front of her. "I'm so sorry I said all those things earlier. I didn't mean it, I was just really upset because..." Melody didn't want to say it, but she knew she had to.

Miguel and Tulio waited patiently for their girl to continue, it was time to get some answers. "A girl, named Ariel, showed up at the beach and told Jim about you guys. I thought that it would ruin my relationship with him forever, but I was wrong. I was wrong to blame my problems on you two. If anyone doesn't like me because of you two then that's their fault. There's nothing wrong with you guys and I love you. I love you the way you are, always have and I always will. I'm sorry, again."

After finally getting an explanation for her out of character behaviour, Tulio and Miguel glanced at each other before bringing Melody in for a big hug. "Don't tell us that because someone outed us, you thought that you would lose Jim forever  
?" Miguel asked sitting his hand on his daughter's cheek, gently wiping away the fallen tears with his thumb. Melody lightly nodded her head in shame, it wasn't a good excuse for lashing out but it was the only one she had.

Miguel let out a little laugh before booping Melody's nose. "Honey, I think we've heard enough about him already to know that he's not that kind of guy," Miguel said as he brushed a bit of loose hair out of her face. "You really shouldn't doubt your friends, Mi Querido. I did that once," He said softly as he glanced at Tulio "And it almost cost me the love of my life." Melody had heard the story a million times but it never failed to captivate her. Tulio rolled his eyes, oh Miguel, always the dramatic.

Tulio looked down and saw the ribbon around her wrist, lifting it and taking the ribbon, he slowly led her to the couch, sitting her down and sitting behind her, starting to tie the hair back. "You know, one day you're gonna have to learn to do this yourself." When he was done she turned to him and said, in the smallest, sweetest voice she could. "But I like it when you do it..." Tulio ruffled her newly done hair lightly. "Yeah, me too, kid. Me too."

Miguel watched his little family, a very warm feeling spread all over his frame. As he thought about the day as a whole, he remembered that they needed to talk to Melody about her upcoming birthday. So he moved over and sat next to Tulio, swinging an arm around his shoulder and upper torso, pulling him back to lean him against his chest. "Melody, I know it's been a long day, but we need to talk about your Birthday next week." Melody's eyes widened and brightened at those words. "Yeah, I'm gonna be 13." Tulio's eyes widened as well but in horror. "Oh, no. A teenaged Melody. Great..." He muttered, shaking his head. Miguel quickly shoved his hand over Tulio's mouth. "Don't listen to him, he's just afraid of you growing up. Now, what do you wanna do?"

Melody smirked and gave a sarcastic look.

"You really need to ask?"

Both men glanced at each other. No. No, they did not.

* * *

_One Week Later_

Jim was practically shaking in his boots as he checked over his suit, one last time in the mirror, as well as his hair. "If you keep messing with it you're going to ruin it." His mum said as she watched from the doorway. "I know but I just want to look just right. It's Melody's birthday today, and she's letting me meet her Dad's for the first time. I have to make a good first impression." Jim's mother, Sarah, giggled as she watched her nervous son before moving closer and setting his hair back to the way it was. "Good first impression? Where's my rebellious son who is always flying his sailboard in places he knows he shouldn't?"

Jim blushed slightly, he was always getting in trouble for that. Sarah stroked Jim's cheek. "You really like Melody, don't you?" she asked. Jim nodded taking one last glance in the mirror before turning to his mother. "How do I look?" Sarah practically beamed at her son. "You look like a true gentleman, now you better get going, unless you'll be late." Jim quickly kissed her on the cheek before running out the door. "Thanks, Mom. I'll see you soon." Sarah smiled, maybe Melody would be able to tame her wild child, but she didn't get her hopes up, she liked Jim just the way he was; even if he was a no-good trouble maker.

* * *

Melody too was shaking, well more like vibrating, in excitement. "Melody if you keep moving, I'll never get your hair done." Her Papá reprimanded her gently while he brushed her hair as she tried to calm down. "Sorry, I'm just so excited." She giggled slightly as she fiddled with her blush pink dress's bow around her middle. "And you have every right to be." Her dad appeared behind her in the mirror before pinching her cheek lightly. "It's your 13th birthday, our niñita is growing up. You're gonna look so Hermosa." Melody went as pink like her dress as her dad showered her in compliments but forced herself to stay still. Tulio finally finished her hair with a slight pat to the back. "Well, am I good or what?" He said with a flourish of the arms, giving a godly pose.

Miguel laughed as if it was the funniest joke he had ever heard in his life while Melody only snorted. "Oh cariño. I haven't seen you make that pose since El Dorado. You must be in a really good mood." Tulio shrugged. "Am I not allowed to be happy that I made our Tesoro the most beautiful girl in the world?" Melody was too busy admiring herself in the mirror, her hair was tied back as usual but it looked so shiny and soft. "Wait! I almost forgot something." Her dad said as he kneeled to Melody's level. She could feel him fiddling with her ears, but she couldn't see what he was doing in the mirror, when he eventually pulled back she could see she was wearing a pair of golden square earrings. "Y-you still have those's?" Her Papá asked in astonishment.

"Well, we never let good gold go to waste, do we?" Melody wasn't paying attention as she admired the new earrings, quickly getting up, she barrelled into her dad with a squeal of epic proportions. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, Daddy! I love them, I love them so much!"

After that, there was a knock on the door. Melody let go and quickly ran over to open it, only to see Jane, wearing her signature purple sweater over a lavender nightgown, on the other side. "Hey, Birthday Girl. I got you something." She said as she pulled out a small box from under her arm. "I'll take that. You can open them later," Tulio said gently plucking the small wrapped box out of Jane's hands, setting it on a nearby table. "Also, it's good to see you again Jane."

"It's a delight to see you too Lord Tulio and you, Lord Miguel." She bowed deeply, giggling. Melody wasn't the only one who knew their story, Jane just loved stories.

Laughing at the girl's antics, Miguel bowed back "Well, thank you m'lady." Melody just chuckled along with the playful attitude of her dad and best friend while Tulio watched on with a peaceful smile.

However, when Melody heard the door a second time she knew exactly who it was, it had to be Jim. Suddenly her face dissolved into a panic. "Oh God, it's Jim." Miguel could see his daughters anxiety and set his hand gently on her shoulder. "Honey, it's going to be ok. You invited him, you wanted us to meet him. Now you might want to open the door before he leaves." Melody took a deep breath and Squared her shoulders back to look as elegant as possible, before slowly opening the door and gasping. "J-Jim. You... You look amazing." Jim was wearing an old but good-looking white suit. His hair was no longer the scruffy mess it was always but it had been tamed and combed down, he was positively the essence of handsome.

"Oh, thank god. I spent forever getting ready, at least it was worth it." Jim blushed slightly as he gently rubbed the back of his neck. Jim's eyes wandered over her frame and his face froze. "You... You look so..." there were no words to describe how beautiful he thought she looked at that moment, but he didn't have time to think of one as a man in a red shirt with blonde hair quickly grabbed his wrist and all but yanked him inside the house. "Well, you must be Jim. We have heard so much about you from Melody." Jim didn't have time to process what the blond was saying as his hand was roughly shaken in a hardy handshake.

"Miguel. Stop." He heard another voice pipe up from the left of him before a tall man with long black hair wearing a blue shirt with a brown vest was resting his hands on the blond's (Miguel's, apparently) shoulders. "You're overwhelming him." As he said that the blond man let go of his hand and put up his hands in an apologetic motion. "Right, sorry about that. It's just we've been waiting so long to meet you. Let's start over, I am Miguel." He then motioned to the man behind him, who continued "And I am Tulio."

With a flourish of the arms, both men struck a pose as if they were basking in some kind of worship before Miguel once again spoke. "And they call us Miguel and Tulio." Melody groaned behind them, did they have to introduce themselves like that to everyone? Even her crush?

But Jim just laughed, he didn't know what to expect, but he's certainly didn't expect this. He put his hand out to shake theirs. "Yep, that's me, James Pleiades Hawkins, at your service. But please, just call me Jim." Tulio reached out his own hand and shook the young man's hand firmly. "I guess I can see now where Melody gets her personality." Jim continued; causing Tulio to laugh. "Son, it's a madhouse in here. If you don't want to go insane I suggest you leave now." Tulio said, pointing at his husband and young daughter. "I think I'm a little far gone for that. I'm already those two nut heads best friend," Jim said, meaning Jane and Melody. Tulio rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and you don't have to live with the one who raised her."

Miguel stuck his hand to his chest as if he had been hurt. "Darling, you wound me. As if you're not mad yourself." Tulio gave Miguel a pointed look before smiling softly. "I love you, of course, I am." Jim certainly didn't expect this. He could see the looks that the couple gave each other, he had never seen two people more in love. He guessed he didn't have to worry about Melody being neglected after all.

Melody's face was buried in her hands. Just because she wasn't ashamed of her parents, doesn't mean they can't embarrass her. "Ok, I think that's enough now, you've met, congratulations." Melody gently pulled her parents away from Jim. Jim once again looked Melody over, when he realised that she was not dressed to go swimming at all, isn't that what she wanted? "Hey Melody," Jim asked, looking into her eyes with confusion on his face. "Why did you ask all of us to dress up like this? I thought we were going to go swimming." Melody blushed a deep pink. "Well, yeah, I wanted to at first but then I thought of something different, I was thinking we could..." Melody trailed off as her confidence disappeared. Jim could tell that Melody wasn't comfortable and put his hand on her shoulder. "It's ok, we can do whatever you want, it's your birthday."

Melody took a deep breath before giving her dad the signal. With that Miguel started to play his Mandolin but not in his usual upbeat style but a slower style, a slow song. "I want to dance with you." Jim's face turned from confused to shock. "Really? You want to dance with me?" Melody nodded fiercely. "Yeah, Papá has been teaching me to dance and I wanted to try it with you." Jim smiled before letting out a small chuckle. "I'm pretty sure it's the guy that supposed to ask the girl for a dance but I'll take it." With that, he put one hand on her waist and took her hand in his. Melody gripped his hand and set her other hand on his shoulder.

Melody slowly started moving her feet to the music the way Papá had taught her. Jim tried to copy the movement as best he could, he wasn't a dancer, but he would pretend to be, for her.

As Tulio and Miguel watched their little girl dance with the one who held her heart in his hands, all they could feel was the sense of immense pride and joy at seeing that their little girl was so happy. "Do you think Esmeralda would be proud of us?" Tulio asked absent-mindedly. "Without a doubt, Darling, without a doubt. I only wish she could be here to see this," Miguel answered in a proud but almost sad tone. "But who knows, maybe she is." He whispered looking up to the sky.

As the song came to a slow stop, the two teenagers slowed down till the song was over, with a final bow the two teens stopped and looked at each other deep in the eye grinning to one another. "NOW KISS!" the moment was of course interrupted by Jane, yelling at them from across the couch. Both of the faces of the youth went completely red before Jim gathered enough courage to cup the young girl's cheek kindly, looking at her straight in the eye before kissing her passionately.

The two men watched on with warm hearts. Love was a strange thing, it could kill or make a relationship.

But at the end of the day, it always started with Innocence.


End file.
